CLEVELAND, Ohio - Southwest Airlines launches its ninth year-round destination from Cleveland Hopkins next week, continuing a pattern of slow growth at the airport in the years following the shuttering of the United Airlines' hub.

Southwest, the second largest carrier at Hopkins after United, begins twice-a-day nonstop service to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday. It's a route that is already served by United, and marks a continued press by Southwest to cut into United's market share in Cleveland.

"Southwest has concluded it's worthwhile trying to pick those off. If it's successful, I think you'll see more," said industry consultant George Hamlin. "It should be very interesting. It will be good for ticket prices, at least."

Last year, Southwest Airlines launched service between Cleveland and St. Louis. Even before that service began, United - at the time, the only carrier serving the route - announced it was exiting the market.

The same may happen with Milwaukee, said Hamlin, the president of Hamlin Transportation Consulting outside Washington, D.C. "I don't think United will go to great lengths to defend this market."

Dave Doty, Southwest's senior manager for business development, said the new CLE-Milwaukee route is part of the carrier's push to bolster short-haul traffic throughout the Midwest.

When gas prices were high, he said, travelers made the decision to forego travel or drive instead of fly to some destinations. In addition to lower gas prices, programs including TSA PreCheck have cut down on the time that travelers need to spend at the airport before a flight.

"We have seen a rebound in short-haul traffic recently," said Kyle Snyder, Southwest's regional manager for business development. "We see an opportunity to connect cities in the Midwest with lower fares and better service."

Doty said the "Southwest effect" is still alive and well. First coined in the early 1990s, the phrase describes the effect that the airline often has on a route when it first enters a market: an increase in demand and a lowering of fares.

On the St. Louis to Cleveland route, for example, fares are down 14 percent and traffic has increased 12 percent, according to Southwest.

Fares will likely decrease to Milwaukee, as well. The average fare on the route, according to recent figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is $271; at least to begin with, Southwest is selling one-way fares for as low as $49.

Still, said Hamlin, Southwest isn't the low-fare, leisure-oriented carrier it once was. Today, the airline appeals to many more business travelers than it did initially.

Hamlin said cost per passenger on the route should be much less for Southwest, which flies a uniform fleet of Boeing 737s, than for United, which uses more expensive regional jets on the route. "If they want, Southwest can make a splash on this route with discounted seats. They've got plenty of seats on the plane."

Speaking of those 737s: Southwest is in the process of replacing some its older 737s with new, more fuel-efficient Boeing 737 Max 8s, capable of flying longer distances. The carrier will integrate the new planes fully into its network, so Cleveland travelers will definitely see them at Hopkins. Among the new planes' features: wider seats, faster Wi-Fi and a customized soundtrack as passengers enter and exit.

Southwest is expected to use these new planes on its newest long-haul destination, Hawaii. The airline announced last month that it would start flying from the continental U.S. to the Hawaiian islands, with tickets on sale next year. The airline has not revealed when service will start and what routes it will fly.

Safe to say, Cleveland will not be landing one of those coveted Hawaiian routes. But Doty said Clevelanders can expect more from Southwest in the future.

"We have been growing in Cleveland," he said. "We have more capacity in Cleveland than we have ever had. Barring anything unforeseen, we do see opportunity for continued incremental growth."

Among the possibilities: Fort Lauderdale and Houston Hobby, where Southwest is expanding its service to the Caribbean and Latin America. The carrier recently opened a new, five-gate international wing at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

"Those are eventually hopefully places we can tie in and provide more international opportunities for Cleveland," said Doty.

In addition, next year the airline is running seasonal, weekend-only routes from Cleveland to both Orlando and Fort Myers, Florida. The routes run Saturdays and Sundays only, from mid-January to early April.

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Airfare from Cleveland Hopkins continues to drop dramatically. In the three and a half years since United Airlines closed its hub in Cleveland, fares have dropped 30 percent - the second largest decrease among U.S. airports. Only Cincinnati has seen a steeper decline. (Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation)